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Brain exercises for memory improvement: 10 Brain Exercises to Help Boost Memory

10 Brain Exercises to Help Boost Memory

The old adage “use it or lose it” applies not only to our physical health but also to our cognitive health. We know that regular physical exercise is important, especially as we get older and want to reduce our risk of developing diseases and other health issues associated with aging. For instance, strength exercises can help build muscle and boost bone density, per the Mayo Clinic; balance exercises can help prevent falls, per MedlinePlus; and regular moderate-to-vigorous exercise can help maintain your range of motion to keep you limber, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA).

Similarly, your brain’s cognitive reserve — its ability to withstand neurological damage due to aging and other factors without showing signs of slowing or memory loss — can also benefit from exercise, both physical and cognitive. Just as weight workouts add lean muscle to your body and help you retain muscle in your later years, the NIA notes that following a brain-healthy lifestyle and performing regular, targeted brain exercises may help increase your brain’s cognitive reserve, though more research is needed to confirm the effects.

A Whole-Body Approach to a Healthy Brain

So what types of exercises might benefit your brain? Research suggests that when it comes to keeping your mind sharp, exercising your body as well as your mind and sticking to healthy habits is the ideal formula.

Authors of a study published in July 2019 in The Journal of the American Medical Association followed about 196,400 participants ages 60 and older who didn’t have cognitive impairment or dementia when they joined the study for eight years. They gathered data on participants’ lifestyle habits, such as current smoking status, regular physical activity, healthy diet, and alcohol consumption. Ultimately, researchers found that a healthy lifestyle was associated with a lower dementia risk among participants, regardless of genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Another study, published in Neurology in July 2020, found that people who participate in multiple healthy behaviors significantly reduce their risk for Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. For about six years, the study tracked five healthy lifestyle behaviors — nonsmoking, regular physical activity, low to moderate alcohol consumption, adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet, and engagement in activities that boost cognitive skills — in nearly 2,800 adults and found that those who followed at least four of the behaviors were about 60 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

“Approaches to brain health include a well-balanced diet low in fat, low in cholesterol, and high in antioxidants,” says Robert Bender, MD, section chief of the Geriatric and Memory Center at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Foods high in antioxidants include nuts, fruits (especially berries), veggies, chocolate, and herbs and spices, past research notes.

In addition to good nutrition, regular exercise can promote vascular health to help protect brain tissue. Avoiding ruts and boredom is also critical. “The brain wants to learn new things,” says Dr. Bender, adding that some researchers believe people are more vulnerable to dementia when they pay less attention to the things around them. “When the brain is passive, it has a tendency to atrophy,” he adds. Therefore, sedentary and relatively passive activities, such as sitting in front of a TV for hours a day, can be detrimental to brain health over time.

Physical exercise can also be particularly beneficial for the brain. In a small study published in September 2018 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers found that a single 10-minute period of low-intensity pedaling on a stationary bike was associated with increased activity in the brain’s hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for creating new memories and remembering facts and events.

And a small study published in July 2019 in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society found that a single moderate-intensity workout session immediately before a cognitive task resulted in greater brain activation. The researchers measured the brain activity of 26 healthy adults ages 55 to 85 on two separate days. On one day, they had participants rest for 30 minutes before identifying famous and nonfamous names; on a separate day, they had participants pedal a stationary bike for 30 minutes before doing the same activity. The result: There was significantly greater brain activation after exercise. This finding led researchers to conclude that exercise can immediately change the way our brains function, which added to existing scientific evidence that physical activity helps strengthen brain function and memory.

10 Brain Exercises to Boost Memory and Cognitive Function

In addition to following the aforementioned healthy lifestyle habits, you can also keep your mind and memory sharp with exercises to train your brain — and you don’t have to break the bank to do so. While there are scores of computer games and apps that promise to enhance cognitive function, there isn’t any definitive research that shows these products have significant neurological benefits for older adults. A meta-analysis of eight clinical trials published in February 2020 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that while computer cognition training was associated with small, short-term cognitive benefits, there’s not enough high-quality research to support the use of brain games for preventing dementia or improving long-term cognitive function.

Health experts recommend sticking to brain training that involves real-world activities instead. Exercises to strengthen brain function should offer novelty and challenge. “Almost any silly suggestion can work,” says David Eagleman, PhD, a neuroscientist and adjunct professor of psychology and public mental health and population sciences at the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford University in California. “Drive home via a different route. Brush your teeth with your opposite hand. The brain works through associations, [which is why it’s easier to memorize lyrics than it is to try to remember the same words without music], so the more senses you involve, the better.

Your morning newspaper is a great place to start. “Simple games like Sudoku and word games are good, as well as comic strips where you find things that are different from one picture to the next,” says John E. Morley, MD, a professor of medicine in the division of geriatric medicine at St. Louis University in Missouri. In addition to word games, Dr. Morley recommends the following exercises to sharpen your mental skills. (Keep in mind that there’s a lack of high-quality research in this area; these recommendations are based on Morley’s clinical experience.)

  1. Test your recall. Make a list — grocery items, things to do, or anything else that comes to mind — and memorize it. An hour or so later, see how many items you can recall. Make the list as challenging as possible for the greatest mental stimulation. One small past study suggested that writing and organizing lists helped older adults recall word lists more effectively.
  2. Let the music play.  Learn to play a musical instrument or join a choir. Learning new and complex skills is good for the aging brain, and a past review published in The Gerontologist suggested that musical activities (like playing a musical instrument, singing in a choir, or taking piano lessons) showed particular promise for healthy brain aging, though research is limited.
  3. Do math in your head. Figure out problems without the aid of a pencil, paper, or computer. One small study, published in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology in 2021, suggested that solving math problems had a positive effect on participants’ cognition. You can make this exercise more difficult — and athletic — by walking at the same time.
  4. Take a cooking class. Learn how to cook a new cuisine. Cooking uses a number of senses — smell, touch, sight, and taste — that involve different parts of the brain. Plus, you’ll use cognitive skills like planning the meal, problem-solving, crafting a grocery list, multi-tasking, and organizing, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
  5. Learn a foreign language. The listening and hearing involved in learning a new language stimulates the brain. Plus, being bilingual was associated with a lower risk of developing dementia in one meta-analysis published in October 2020 in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.
  6. Create word pictures. Visualize the spelling of a word in your head, and then try to think of other words that begin (or end) with the same two letters.
  7. Draw a map from memory. After returning home from visiting a new place, try to draw a map of the area. Repeat this exercise each time you go somewhere new. One past study, which focused on London taxi drivers (who are expected to memorize the complex layout of the city), found that drivers who successfully memorized the city map showed permanent changes to brain structure and better cognitive function.
  8. Challenge your taste buds. When eating, try to identify individual ingredients in your meal, including subtle herbs and spices.
  9. Refine your hand-eye coordination. Take up a new hobby that involves fine motor skills, and can help you keep your hand-eye coordination sharp. Per Harvard Health Publishing, this could include racquet sports, tai chi, knitting, drawing, painting, or playing video games.
  10. Learn a new sport. Start doing an athletic exercise. A review published in Frontiers in Psychology in December 2019 noted that boosting your balance, strength, and aerobic capacity — that is, your body’s ability to use oxygen for energy — can help protect your brain as you age. Morley specifically suggests yoga, golf, or tennis as exercises that boost brain health, while Harvard Health Publishing recommends swimming for its brain-boosting benefits.

Soon people will realize they can take steps to keep their brains healthy, just as they know they can prevent heart disease by taking certain actions, says Bender: “In the coming decade, I predict brain wellness to be right up there with heart health, now that there’s proof that living a brain-healthy lifestyle works!”

Additional reporting by Lisa Rapaport.

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22 ways to improve memory, cognition, and creativity

Brain exercises may help boost and maintain brain function. Memory games, learning new skills, crosswords, and even video games may help.

Although the brain gets plenty of exercise every day, certain activities may help boost brain function and connectivity. This in turn may help protect the brain from age-related degeneration.

The brain is always active, even during sleep. However, certain activities can engage the brain in new ways, potentially leading to improvements in memory, cognitive function, or creativity.

This article outlines 22 brain exercises that may help boost memory, cognition, and creativity.

Meditation generally involves focusing attention in a calm, controlled way. Meditating may have multiple benefits for both the brain and the body.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, research suggests that meditation may benefit the brain by slowing brain aging and increasing the brain’s ability to process information.

Visualization involves forming a mental image to represent information. The mental image may be in the form of pictures or animated scenes.

A 2018 review notes that visualization helps people organize information and make appropriate decisions.

People can practice visualization in their day-to-day lives. For example, before going shopping, people can visualize how they will get to and from the grocery store, and imagine what they will buy when they get there. The key is to imagine the scenes vividly and in as much detail as possible.

Playing card games or board games can be a fun way to socialize or pass the time. These activities may also be beneficial for the brain. A 2017 study found a link between playing games and a decreased risk of cognitive impairment in older adults.

Memory card games test a person’s short-term memory and ability to remember patterns. They are a simple and fun way to engage the brain and activate areas related to pattern recognition and recall.

Crossword puzzles are a popular activity that may stimulate the brain. An older study from 2011 notes that crossword puzzles may delay the onset of memory decline in people with preclinical dementia.

Completing a jigsaw puzzle can be a good way to pass the time and may also benefit the brain. A 2018 study found that puzzles activate many cognitive functions, including:

  • perception
  • mental rotation
  • working memory
  • reasoning

The study concluded that doing jigsaw puzzles regularly and throughout life may protect against the effects of brain aging.

Number puzzles, such as sudoku, can be a fun way to challenge the brain. They may also improve cognitive function in some people.

A 2019 study of adults aged between 50 and 93 years found that those who practiced number puzzles more frequently tended to have better cognitive function.

A 2016 meta-analysis notes that chess and other cognitive leisure activities may lead to improvements in:

  • memory
  • executive functioning, which is the ability to monitor and adapt behavior in order to meet set goals
  • information processing speed

A 2015 study found that there is a connection between regular participation in checkers or other cognitively stimulating games and larger brain volume and improved markers of cognitive health in people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

A 2015 review notes that some types of video games — such as action, puzzle, and strategy games — may lead to improvements in the following:

  • attention
  • problem solving
  • cognitive flexibility

Enjoying company of friends may be a mentally engaging leisure activity and may help preserve cognitive function. A 2019 study found that people with more frequent social contact were less likely to experience cognitive decline and dementia.

Some social activities that may help stimulate the brain include:

  • having discussions
  • playing games
  • participating in social sports

Learning new skills engages the brain in different ways and may help improve brain function.

A 2014 study of older adults found that learning a new and cognitively demanding skill, such as quilting or photography, enhanced memory function.

Increasing one’s vocabulary range is a great way to broaden knowledge while exercising the brain.

A simple way to increase vocabulary is to read a book or watch a TV program and note down any words that are unfamiliar. A person can then use a dictionary to look up the meaning of the word and think up ways to use the word in a sentence.

“Bilingualism” refers to the ability to speak two languages.

A 2019 review notes that bilingualism increases and strengthens connectivity between different areas of the brain. The researchers propose that this enhanced connectivity may play a role in delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

A 2018 study published in Brain Sciences found that listening to music a person enjoys engages and connects different parts of the brain.

The researchers propose that this may lead to improvements in cognitive function and overall well-being.

Learning an instrument exercises parts of the brain that are responsible for coordination.

According to a 2014 study, playing an instrument may benefit cognitive development in a young brain and help protect against cognitive impairment in an aging brain.

Taking up a new hobby can be mentally stimulating and exercise the brain in new ways.

Hobbies that require coordination or dexterity will activate a person’s motor skills. Such hobbies may include:

  • knitting
  • embroidery
  • drawing
  • painting
  • dancing
  • learning a musical instrument

Regular physical exercise is beneficial for both the brain and the body. Authors of a 2019 review note that exercise improves the following aspects of brain health:

  • memory
  • cognition
  • motor coordination

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exercise has beneficial effects on the following aspects of cognitive health:

  • memory
  • planning
  • organization

Dance is a form of exercise that may also engage areas of the brain involved in rhythm and balance.

Certain sports are both physically and mentally demanding. Some require a range of cognitive skills, such as:

  • sustained attention
  • planning
  • multitasking
  • the ability to adapt rapidly to changing situations

A 2019 review notes that elite athletes who participate in high demand sports tend to have improved attention and faster information processing speeds.

Tai chi is a form of physical exercise that involves gentle body movements, rhythmic breathing, and meditation.

A 2019 study compared brain function and connectivity among tai chi practitioners and those who did not practice it.

The researchers found that the tai chi practitioners had enhanced connectivity between different regions of their brain. They proposed that this may improve cognition and decrease the rate of memory loss.

While not necessarily an active exercise, sleep is crucial for both the brain and the body.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, most adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night, although many people get less sleep than they need.

A 2015 review notes that sleep has been proven to:

  • boost memory recall
  • reduce mental fatigue
  • regulate metabolism

As such, making sure to get enough sleep each night is an important step toward maintaining a healthy brain.

Brain exercises can be as simple as actively engaging the brain in everyday tasks. Others are targeted workouts for the brain, specifically designed to enhance memory, cognition, or creativity.

Exercising the brain may help improve brain function and boost connectivity between the different areas. This may help protect the brain from age-related degeneration.

People are likely to differ in terms of the brain exercises they find most enjoyable. It may be a good idea to try a range of brain-training activities at first and to stick with those that provide the most enjoyment or reward.

Memory training: tips and exercises to help keep your brain in good shape

Contents:

  • Why you need to train your memory
  • Training methods
  • 10 memory exercises
  • Memory and attention training
  • Memory and brain training
  • Conclusion

Why you need to train your memory

Human memory is inextricably linked with the brain and thought processes. The more information we hold in memory, the more activity the brain has to process this information. This is how the brain learns and becomes more developed.

However, the level of intelligence is not fixed once and for all at one point. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute in Berlin have found that the brain reaches its peak of activity at the age of 16-25, after which cognitive functions gradually decline. But this does not mean that it is impossible to restore the brain to its former strength. Just for this, it is necessary to train the brain and memory.

Our brain has neuroplasticity – the ability to adapt to new conditions and change. And he can do it at any age. And best of all, the brain forms new neural connections when it learns something new and remembers this information. Research also shows that regular memory training increases intelligence scores in adults and can improve the memory of older people and return it to middle age.


Related materials:
9 simple habits that improve memory
6 memory exercises
Memory development – effective ways to train


Ways to train

To keep memory in good shape, it, like the body, needs to be trained. But don’t be alarmed – it’s not that difficult and requires almost no extra effort. All the activities that will help train your memory can easily be included in your daily routine.

Learn foreign languages. This is one of the best ways to develop both the brain and memory. When you learn a foreign language, you come across a new and unknown system. But this is what stimulates the brain and makes it go out of its comfort zone. It is also a rather laborious task that requires increased concentration. The stepwise process of learning – you start with simple things and gradually increase your level, provides the brain with an even load. And at the end you will be rewarded – you will learn a new culture, you will be able to talk with a native speaker, pass an exam and get a new job. This, in turn, affects the production of the hormone dopamine, which is responsible for the feeling of satisfaction, and also helps the learning and memory processes.

Work on imagination and visualization. Figurative thinking helps to develop memory. Let’s say you need to remember a phone number or a new pin code for a bank card. Imagine how you type the necessary numbers on the keyboard, how your fingers move and what lines they draw. Another example is a shopping list. Visualize in your mind the products you are going to buy. This way, not only will you remember to buy oranges or a can of tuna, but you will also create an emotional connection with these objects. Also try to visualize in your mind images of what you are reading, whether it is fiction or an article in a business publication. The memorization mechanism works in such a way that, if necessary, the brain will reproduce the desired visual image.

Disrupt automatism. Every day we do a lot of routine activities – brushing our teeth, walking the familiar route to work, ordering the same type of coffee in a cafe next door. The brain at this time acts on the machine and does not strain. To stir up the brain and make it work more actively, it is useful to periodically change established habits. For example, change your usual route, brush your teeth with your left hand if you are right-handed, try a new dish in a cafe, or cook yourself according to a new recipe.

10 Memory Exercises

Try these exercises daily to train your memory.

1. Solve arithmetic examples

When you do arithmetic, you make your brain work and analyze situations faster. You can also introduce arithmetic calculations into everyday life. For example, counting tips in your head at a cafe or the benefit that you can get from a special offer in a store.

2. Learn poems

Try to memorize a short poem or part of it every day. When you study a poem, try to say it out loud. So you use your articulatory apparatus, which contributes to better memorization. Over time, you will need fewer repetitions to memorize one verse.

3. Describe objects

Choose any object that is nearby – a vase, a figurine, a book with an interesting cover. It is better to choose items that have more details. Look at the subject carefully for half a minute and remember all the details. Then turn away from the subject and describe it in detail.

4. Solve crossword puzzles

Crossword puzzles effectively train the brain and memory. Other games with words, such as scrabble, are also suitable.

5. Memorize figures (“Matches”)

For this exercise you will need ten matches. First, take five matches and throw them on the table. For a few seconds, remember their location, then turn away and try to make the same picture from the other five matches.

6. Remember objects or words

Place ten different objects on the table, list them out loud for a minute, and then cover them with something. After that, try to name all the items that are on the table. To increase the difficulty of the exercise, you can increase the number of objects. Also, the exercise can be performed using a list of words. Write the words on the sheet, turn the sheet over and repeat what is written.

7. Perform actions blindly

Try to walk around the apartment with your eyes closed or do a habitual action blindly. This will improve memory and increase spatial orientation skills.

8. Tell stories

Try to make up a story about how your day went. Storytelling helps to better remember important events and interesting details, as well as connect emotions with memories.

9. Make mental excursions

Imagine your way to work or mentally walk around the apartment. During these “walks” pay attention to the details and consider individual objects. This exercise trains concentration, because during the walk you spend a lot of time to study objects in detail.

10. Building memory palaces

Imagine a space you know well, like your room. Then choose objects or places there that will be your “hooks”, and attach the necessary associations to them. The more absurd they are, the better they will be remembered. When you master the method in a familiar place, you can build such palaces from any space.

Shutterstock / Gohengs

Memory & Attention Training

The ability to concentrate and hold attention is very important for the development of memory. After all, this is how memories are transferred from short-term memory to long-term memory.

You should start by focusing your attention on one activity as much as possible. When working on a task, do not get distracted by other things or social networks.

You can also do exercises that will help develop both attention and memory. Speed ​​reading exercises work well for this. For example, Schulte tables. Their essence is to consistently find numbers in as little time as possible. When you look up numbers in a table, your vision captures several cells at once. Thus, you remember the location of not only the desired cell, but also cells with other numbers. Tables train peripheral vision, attention and observation.

The Stroop test is also suitable. It trains both visual memory and attentiveness well. Its essence is to say out loud the color of the words as quickly as possible. The main mistake is the temptation to read the word itself, and not the color in which it is written. If you are wrong, you must name the color again.

Memory and brain training

The human brain and memory are interconnected, so when we train our memory, we train our brain. Memory exercises, visualization of objects perfectly develop thinking. But there are a few more life hacks that will improve the functioning of the brain and help it remember and process information more efficiently.

Go in for sports. Daily exercise improves brain function. When you exercise, your brain gets more oxygen. It also reduces the risk of diabetes or cardiovascular disease. And they are common causes of memory loss. Physical exercise also helps fight stress. Even a half-hour walk in the nearest park or 5-10 minutes of exercise will reboot the brain and restore concentration.

Good sleep. Healthy sleep is essential for learning and memory. After all, during the deep phase of sleep, memory is strengthened. Not only the amount of sleep is important – 7-9hours, but also the quality. To do this, you need to make a sleep schedule and go to bed at the same time every day. And an hour before bedtime, you should avoid interacting with a smartphone or computer. After all, the glow of screens has a negative effect on the body, in particular, it suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin.

Track the amount of stress and monitor your health. Chronic stress can destroy brain cells and also cause memory loss. Constant stress can affect a person’s health and exacerbate chronic diseases. Therefore, it is important to monitor your condition in time and control the amount of stress. For example, take breaks during the day, set yourself realistic goals, have a good rest.

You should also monitor your health and conduct regular medical checkups. Dementia and Alzheimer’s are not the only diseases that cause memory impairment. Heart disease, diabetes, and hormone imbalances also impair cognition and can affect our ability to concentrate and process new information adequately.

Conclusion

Active work of the brain is the key to a healthy and successful human life. In order to develop the brain and constantly feed its energy, it is necessary to regularly train memory, attention, imagination, and also not to forget about the physical condition of the body. To do this, try to include these actions in your life.

  1. Learn new things. For example, foreign languages.
  2. Develop imagination.
  3. Change habitual patterns of behavior.
  4. Do exercises regularly to train your memory.
  5. Train concentration and attention.
  6. Exercise.
  7. Reduce the amount of stress.
  8. Maintain health and good sleep.

Author: Marina Rastorgueva

Cover photo: Shutterstock / fizkes

Remember everything: 10 memory exercises

#Foreign_languages ​​

10/11/2022

Memory is one of the key functions of the intellect, which is associated, in simple words, with the strengthening of old neural connections and the formation of new ones. We can say that the whole life of a person is our memory of the events that took place in it. Scientists usually distinguish between short-term (or operational) and long-term memory.
Short-term memory is responsible for the perception and retention of information after the first glance or reading. For example, we can quickly write down the phone number that was just dictated to us. But we will not be able to reproduce the same phone number after some time.

Long-term memory is the ability to store information more stable and durable. It is long-term memory that stores our life experiences.
Storing information
Short-term memory stores information for less than 5 minutes

To upgrade your memory and “keep it in shape”, you don’t need to set super-difficult tasks. It is enough to constantly learn new, and most importantly, actions that are not quite familiar to us. We have selected for you 10 fun memory training exercises that are sure to find a place in your daily life.

1. Be left-handed for a while

If you are right-handed, then try doing familiar and simple daily activities with your left hand. For example, you can try to eat one meal only with your left hand or brush your teeth with your left hand in the morning, try to write some note, etc. If you are left-handed, then, on the contrary, try to do something with your right hand at least occasionally.

Such actions will greatly affect the development of fine motor skills, creativity, non-standard thinking, and this will favorably affect the functioning of the brain.

2. Play

It has long been proven that chess is a game that develops intelligence and memory. However, in addition to chess, such games can also include checkers, scrabble (a game where you need to make as many words as possible from the available letters), memories (cards that you need to remember and then find a pair), the Japanese game of go (where you need to surround enemy stones without the possibility of a further move) and many others. And do not forget about a variety of crosswords, crossword puzzles, sudoku and other types of puzzles.


Go game
Go is one of the most difficult games in the world (comparable to chess)

3. Learn new routes

To do this, it is not necessary to go camping with tents or fly to another country. The daily drive home, to work, or to the store can be an exercise in brain activity.

Avoid favorite routes, try new paths. This activates concentration, attention.

4. Repetition is the mother of learning

We have heard this truth since childhood. But with age, unfortunately, sometimes we forget it. But in vain!

How often do we try to remember: did I turn off the iron? To avoid such moments, repeat aloud all your actions that you perform before you leave the house. Thus, auditory memory is also connected to visual memory.

You can also try to repeat the sequence of events that you can record, for example, on the way to work. It might look like this: went down in a small elevator – 7 steps passed at the entrance – a schoolboy with a blue backpack walked in front, etc. When you arrive at work, try to reproduce your entire journey and list all the things that you recorded along the way, including the order in which you saw them.

5. Discover new flavors

It’s hard to imagine, but even the habits we have developed in food can be bad for new neural connections.

When children try new foods, their brains grow and develop. Adults become conservatives and develop eating habits. And if you are used to cooking and eating approximately the same list of dishes, then you should try to go to a cooking class or to an ethnic restaurant to feel new facets of taste and aroma. Such an experience stimulates different parts of the brain responsible for perception.


Exotic dish
Try new foods – it helps develop taste perception

6. Close your eyes

When our brain loses sight – one of the main channels for receiving information, all other senses are significantly aggravated.

Try, for example, one of the daily tasks with your eyes closed: wash the dishes, fold laundry, etc. This exciting little adventure will let you experience daily activities in a new way.

7. Solve examples

Math is the real training for the mind. So when everyday situations call for counting, try to count mentally.


Fragment of the painting “Oral Account. In a public school”
Solve math problems in your head – this is training for the brain

A number of scientists from Stanford University, USA, having studied the process of solving mathematical problems, came to the following conclusion: adults mainly use long-term memory, “getting” answers from there. If such answers are not found, then for the most part people start using a calculator. It turns out that the brain of an adult stops working towards solving problems and examples, which significantly reduces its performance.

8. Map

Whether you went on a trip to another country or just visited a park in your city, try to remember and then draw your route on paper. Mark the places you have visited, their details and features, as on tourist maps. This activity is great for developing memory.


Area map
Draw a map of your route, remember the place you visited

9. Install apps

Try installing special memory training apps on your mobile phone.

For example, there are wonderful English-language applications Elevate or Lumosity. In Russian there is an application “Wikium”. They are all built on the same principle: every day you are offered several tasks that help develop attention, reaction speed, improve memory, etc.

10. Learn a foreign language

Learning any foreign language is the best training for the brain and memory. This helps to comprehensively develop the ability to receive and process new information. In addition, meeting new people will introduce you to new ways of thinking and remembering. This will significantly expand your horizons and make your brain work hard.

Linguistic Center “5Levels” – this is an endless opportunity to learn foreign languages ​​for people of all ages. Our programs are suitable for everyone from beginners to advanced. The center provides methodological support to students, choosing the most modern and useful manuals that will help in an accessible form and quickly train the ability to memorize new information.